


I See Her

by epeeblade



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, sex with feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 12:29:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6566242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epeeblade/pseuds/epeeblade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha Romanov has been working for SHIELD for six months. Maria Hill sees what no one else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I See Her

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Lapillus for the short notice beta. And thanks for lots of other stuff too:)
> 
> This is my first foray into f/f. While I do appreciate criticism, I prefer it be given in private, and welcome email at epeeblade at gmail.
> 
> This fic does make reference to some possible non-con in Natasha's past, though not explicit, it's strongly implied.

Natasha Romanov had been an agent of SHIELD for exactly six months. Maria Hill could find no fault in her work, and the performance evaluations from every single handler were glowing. It was as if once they allowed her in, Natasha had devoted her single-minded nature to being the perfect agent.

In Maria’s experience ‘perfection’ often hid something.

Hill watched Romanov in the canteen, how she flirted with every male agent. Romanov made it a dance, something languid and beautiful. No one got jealous, because somehow they all fell into her trap of believing they were the only man she gave the time of day to. The Black Widow spun her web effectively.

As she’d been trained to do.

But were any of her affections real? It was an important question, and though ‘interpersonal relations’ was a check box Hill needed to satisfy in the paperwork, she wondered for herself if Romanov would ever be more than a mask in SHIELD.

To answer that she brought in Clint Barton for a talk.

“She keeps trying to sleep with me,” Clint said, perching on the visitor’s chair in Maria’s office. She glared at him and he sighed and flopped down to sit like a normal human being.

“Most men wouldn’t see that as a problem.” She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him squirm.

The scuttlebut had Romanov and Barton as fuck buddies. Maria listened, because that was her job as well. The undercurrents rarely spoke the truth, but that could be found if she listened to the right ones.

“I won’t sleep with someone just because they’re grateful to me. I’m not that kind of guy.”

“I know, Agent Barton.” She kept her voice as soft as she ever let it get. She knew Barton’s history, although only one man in all of SHIELD knew everything. “I’ve gotten complaints from handlers. Charges that she’s causing dissent in the ranks.”

“By flirting with the agents? If she actually were fucking any of them you wouldn’t hear a peep.”

“So she wants us to know about her indiscretions.” But why?

The answer was all too clear. Romanov knew how to wear a mask quite well. She was a beautiful woman, and her looks were a perfect armor to keep everyone away.

“Just assign her to my team,” Clint interrupted Hill’s thoughts. “I know because of reasons Fury didn’t want us to work together, but, you know, she’s proved her loyalty, hasn’t she?’

“I’ll be the judge of that, Agent Barton.” After all, this was Maria’s job.

***

Hill had the perfect excuse. There was no reason for her palms to be sweaty as she approached Romanov in the canteen. Her score of admirers scattered at the sight of Hill, and she mentally took note of who was too chickenshit to stick around.

Romanov greeted her by standing, her lips curved into a smile that gave away no secrets. “Agent Hill. What can I do for you?”

“Sit down, Romanov. Here.” Hill slid a plastic card across the table.

The smile disappeared but was replaced with polite confusion. She used her face like a knife, each feature sculpted to give exactly the impression Natasha wanted. To get under it, Maria would have to do some chiseling. 

“What is this?”

“Congratulations, Agent Romanov. You’ve passed your six month probation. As such you are now allowed off-base.”

Finally something lit a fire in those eyes. Did Maria just see a real reaction from Natasha Romanov? Or was that spark of pleasure an act as well?

“Thank you, Agent Hill.”

“There is just one catch.”

“There always is.”

“I had a feeling you would say that.” Ah, that comment drew a furrow on Romanov’s brow. Excellent. Keep her guessing. Let her remember Hill was just as much of a spy. She knew how to use words to either cut or soothe. “It shouldn’t be such a hardship, Agent Romanov. I’m inviting you to a girl’s night at my place. It will get you off base and it will give us the opportunity to get to know each other better.”

Romanov leaning forward and grinned. “A girl’s night? Is Clint invited too?”

“Not this time.” Hill fought to keep her expression smooth and her tone light. It was time for Natasha to stop leaning on Barton as her only friend. SHIELD was more than one person, and if she only had loyalty to Clint, that was a problem, one Maria needed to solve for the good of the organization.

But also, she could admit to herself, that she wanted to get to know this woman, to find out what made her tick. And maybe be a friend if she needed one.

Natasha smiled, that slow seductive grin she used on all the male agents. It made Hill’s knees turn to jelly in response. No woman should hold the world with her smile, but Romanov did somehow. “All right. I’ll be there.”

“Excellent. The address is on the back of the pass. See you at 1900.”

***

Hill wasn’t surprised when her doorbell rang at exactly 1900. She’d been informed the moment Romanov left the base, and a SHIELD car escorted her to this destination. But once Natasha entered this apartment, all SHIELD monitoring would stop. Hill meant it when she said Romanov had earned her pass.

She opened the door, not sure what to expect on the other side. Natasha stood there with her hands inside the pockets of an overlarge gray hoodie, her red hair pulled back in a pony tail. She wore slim fitting jeans and ankle boots. Overall, she was incredibly casually dressed; Hill had only ever seen her in tac suits or gowns for a mission.

She still looked good enough to eat.

Maria swallowed down the sudden panic that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Come in. Glad you could make it.”

Natasha waited until the door was closed before she spoke. “Oh, are we doing small talk now?”

She walked into the middle of the living room and looked around very obviously. There really wasn’t anything for her to see. Hill kept her apartment bland, and impersonal. The room was decorated in shades of black and white, with the occasional silver decor thrown in. It wasn’t much different from her office at SHIELD.

“Nice place you got here.” 

“Don’t do that.” Hill said quietly.

“Do what? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to say when someone invites you over?”

“You and I aren’t just ‘someones.’ We are both highly trained professionals. Go ahead. Give me your assessment on me based on where I live.”

“You don’t live here.” Natasha said quickly. “Oh, this might be where you sleep on occasion, but this isn’t where you are really...you.”

“Oh?” Maria leaned against the bar between the kitchen and the living area. She felt a little thrill that Natasha was willing to play this game with her. It made her a bit closer to cracking the puzzle. “So where am I really me?”

Natasha matched her pose as she leaned on the back of the couch. She stroked a single hand down the faux leather. “I don’t know if I’ll tell you. Maybe it’s better if I know something about you that you don’t.”

The sharpness in her tone surprised Maria for a moment. Then, the undercurrent became suddenly clear. “You don’t like that I’ve read your file.”

Maria had been part of the team involved in the debrief. The Black Widow had been a legend, to find out her true story? That wasn’t something she could pass up. But she could understand how that could be a barrier to actually getting to know her.

Was that the goal here? Maria had started this in some exercise to improve interpersonal relations, but now…

“You can understand why that might upset me.” Natasha crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to one side.

It was an orchestrated move. Maria was starting to notice them now. “What I’m trying to figure out is if you are really upset, or if you think you should be upset.”

“I’m not that complicated, Agent Hill.”

“Maria,” she corrected gently. “Please.”

Something shifted in Natasha’s expression. Maria couldn’t explain it, but before she could identify what it mean, that bland mask was back again, the one that said she’d play Maria’s game.

“All right. Then it’s Natasha.” She smiled and walked over to where Maria was still leaning. How she moved made Maria feel like she was the prey.

There had to be something she could do to crack that mask. Maria decided to try a different tactic. The truth. “I don’t get to see your psyche evals. Only Fury has that kind of access. I need to get to know you the old fashioned way.”

“You’re trying to get inside my head.” Natasha’s lips twisted in genuine irritation. 

“I’m trying to be your friend.” Maria countered. “SHIELD isn’t a place where you have to pretend all the time. We’re not the Red Room.”

Natasha made a disgusted sound and turned away, stalking through the living room, but not looking back at Maria. “SHIELD’s secrets have secrets. It’s nice that I can play now, but you and I both know I’m nothing more than a tool.”

That kind of statement Maria could not let stand. If Natasha believed herself only a weapon then...no, this meant more than just making sure an asset felt wanted. She couldn’t let Natasha believe that about herself. Maria had to make her understand.

So Maria charged across the room and had Natasha by the wrist before she thought about it. She could feel the muscle tense beneath her fingers and knew only discipline kept Natasha from flipping her across the room. “You’re not a tool. You’re a person. It’s why I invited you here. To show you that.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Natasha finally faced her, but she didn’t pull her wrist out of Maria’s grasp. Her skin was soft and warm beneath Maria’s fingers. 

Maria swallowed and changed tactics yet again. “You came in here and saw a cold and impersonal apartment. A sign that I spend more time at work. You think that I’m cold and unfeeling, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Sometimes you have to dig deep, Natasha Romanov. I’ll show you mine if…”

Later she wasn’t sure exactly who moved first, if Natasha did it to shut her up, or if Maria just succumbed to the power of those plump lips. They kissed, at first just a tentative touch of lips to lips, but then Natasha tilted her head back and let Maria deepen the kiss. Oddly, she tasted like peaches.

Maria slid her free hand behind Natasha’s head, still not giving up her hold on Natasha’s wrist. If she let go, this spider might fly away. She pulled out the hair tie, getting a handful of soft hair as she gentled the kiss, finally regrettably, pulling away.

Natasha’s cheeks were pink, and she looked more than a little startled.

Maria let out a shaky laugh. “This isn’t...I mean, I honestly planned a girl’s night. I have popcorn. And movies. Really girly ones.”

Granted, she had to run out to the nearest store to get them out of the $5 bin, but Maria had them.

“I don’t know, I think this might be more interesting.” Natasha kissed her again, slotting their bodies together as she wrapped her arms around Maria’s waist. 

Maria let it go for a moment, but she had to pull away, no matter how hard she found it. “You have to understand, you don’t have to do this.”

Natasha tilted her head and grimaced. “Clint?”

Maria stepped back and let herself cool off. “Him, and all the other agents you’ve tried to seduce. That’s...that’s not a requirement for SHIELD.”

“Odd words for someone offering to take me to bed.” That mischievous smile was back, but this time Maria thought it might be genuine.

Her face heated at that. “You’re beautiful,” Maria said, once again letting the truth speak. “And you’re a mystery. Is it any wonder I would want you?”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment it felt like she was looking into Maria’s soul. “Did you ever notice I only flirt with the men?”

Maria frowned, thinking back to her observations, the complaints, Clint’s warning. Had she read this all wrong? “Oh.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Natasha seized her by the waist and pulled her close again. “This kind of thing...was not permitted in the Red Room. Our bodies were for men. We learned to seduce men. Anything to get the mission done. But this…”

She swallowed and looked away, her cheeks still that delicious shade of pink. “This I have no training in.”

“Then let me?” Maria stepped back and held out her hand, giving Natasha a moment to think, to accept or to refuse. 

The most interesting thing was watching Natasha’s eyes, so beautifully green, like glass bottles. For once Maria thought she might get a glimpse of something behind the mask, simply because Natasha did not know which one to wear at the moment.

Just when Maria thought she might bolt, Natasha reached out and slid her palm into Maria’s. Her heart swelled, because this was the bravest thing she’d ever seen this woman do. Maria squeezed her hand and led Natasha into the bedroom.

“We can still watch movies…” She needed Natasha to understand this. 

Natasha gave her a sideways smile. “No, but I think I might want some of that popcorn later.”

Maria HAD to kiss her at that. She cupped Natasha’s face between her hands, running her thumbs over her soft jaw, tasting carefully from her moist lips. Yes, still a little like peaches. She couldn’t wait to taste Natasha everywhere. 

“Can I undress you?” Maria didn’t move far, but she allowed her hands to trail down Natasha’s body, causing the other woman to shiver before settling them at her waist. She gave into temptation and slid her fingers between the sweatshirt and warm skin.

Natasha swallowed hard, and Mara found herself entranced by the way her throat worked. “Yes. What should I do?”

“Just let me,” Maria said, shifting her grip to the bottom of Natasha’s sweatshirt, which she pulled over Natasha’s head, revealing a white tank top beneath. Natasha’s chest rose and fell with each breath coming just a little too fast, and Maria couldn’t take her eyes off that pair of perfect breasts. 

Liquid pooled between her legs, and Maria just had to touch, even with the barrier of the shirt between them. Her fingers found Natasha’s nipples and stroked them to hardness. Natasha gasped. 

It wasn’t enough. Maria wanted more. She pulled at the bottom of the tank top and soon that joined the sweatshirt on the floor.

Natasha let out a shaky laugh. “I’d have thought you’d carefully fold every piece of clothing.”

“I told you there was more to me.” Maria teased gently, looking her fill. She wanted to touch those perfectly round breasts, knead them between her hands, kiss down the center. But if she stopped now she’d never get Natasha naked, and oh, did she want to see everything.

Maria knelt and slid her hands down Natasha’s thighs, a slow movement down her legs until she reached those chunky ankle boots. Natasha lifted each foot, not saying anything as Maria worked, although her breath hitched when Maria reached for the fly on her jeans.

She tugged the jeans over Natasha’s hips, down past her knees and to her ankles, leaving the white cotton briefs alone. There was something about that simple pair of underwear. Natasha had come here in comfort clothing, not a single bit of artifice and Maria loved it.

“I don’t get to undress you?” Natasha asked as Maria straightened and tugged at the hem of her own shirt.

“At this point I’m too impatient. Maybe next time?”

Natasha’s lips parted, but she didn’t say a word. Maria guided her to the bed, pushing her back until she lay in the middle of it. Her pale skin glowed against Maria’s navy sheets. 

Impatient, Maria shucked off the rest of her clothes except for her own underwear, a more elaborate lace affair. She liked the eroticism of it, being able to slide her hand beneath the cotton, to be teased at what lie beneath. 

She climbed onto the bed, sliding up next to Natasha. “What can I do? This is something just for you.” 

Natasha licked her lips. “I...anything, just, no penetration?” She lowered her lashes as she said it, and pink flooded her cheeks. The blush also carried down to her chest, and it made Maria simultaneously want to hug her and fuck her.

“Of course.” Maria thought for a moment. “Lips and tongue okay?”

“I...yes.”

Now it was time to play. She got up on her knees and finally, finally, got to touch. Maria started at Natasha’s collar bone, soft feathery light touches just to get her used to how it felt. Then her thumbs stroked downward, teasing each pink nipple. She couldn’t resist taking a handful, molding each globe, watching the way Natasha gasped and writhed beneath her.

Then Natasha got a mischievous gleam in her eye and she reached up and tweaked Maria’s nipple.

Maria couldn’t help the startled giggle that erupted. She pulled away and rubbed at the sore spot in self-defense.

“Don’t I get to touch?” Natasha asked, wearing a very familiar smirk.

“Of course,” Maria settled back on her heels. “I just...wanted to give you this.”

The smirk disappeared and Maria ached, because she would give anything to see it again, especially when Natasha’s next words were: “Don’t feel sorry for me.”

Maria leaned down and cupped Natasha’s face between her hands. “I don’t. I think it’s amazing that this incredible, beautiful woman is in my bed, letting me have my wicked way with her.” She had to kiss her, despite the awkwardness of the angle. Natasha curled her arm around Maria, pulling her closer as they sucked at each other’s lips.

Maria mouthed down Natasha’s chin and jawline, sinking her teeth into the pristine skin of her neck. God, she tasted amazing everywhere, and Maria loved the way her pulse jumped.

Panting slightly, Maria pulled away, unable to ignore the ache between her thighs. “Spread your legs.”

With a shiver, Natasha obeyed. Maria settled in between her thighs and started, teasingly, by mouthing at one peaked nipple, while stroking the other. She continued to mouth down Natasha’s belly, taking note of what made Natasha pant and moan, until finally she reached the waistband of her briefs.

Natasha gasped and held so still. Maria started with her fingers, stroking over the fabric, feeling the outline of Natasha’s folds. She kept watch on Natasha’s face as she explored, using various levels of pressure to see what worked and what didn’t. When Natasha bit her lip as Maria circled the area around her clit, Maria knew she had the right spot.

She place her hands on the inside of Natasha’s thighs, holding them apart, but stroking the inner flesh with her thumbs as she bent and placed her mouth over the spot that had caused Natasha so much pleasure. Maria suckled her through the cotton fabric, watching as Natasha arched her back off of the bed in response.

Maria backed off just a bit. Natasha clearly had no intention of uttering a sound, and Maria intended on changing that. She pulled down the briefs until they were pulled obscenely around Natasha’s thighs, revealing the soft flesh beneath. Of course, she had to touch, fingers gliding around the edge of Natasha’s trimmed mound, circling, circling, but never quite touching.

Until, finally, “Please,” Natasha whispered.

“That’s my girl.” Maria bent forward once more, using lips and fingers to stroke and suck, keeping up the intensity until she felt Natasha quiver, the folds of her flesh pulsing with the force of her orgasm.

In response, Maria straddled Natasha’s thigh and kissed her, her left handing finding Natasha’s breast and kneading it as she rode toward her own climax. Natasha slid her hand down Maria’s back, finding her buttocks and helping her ride the wave until Maria came, shuddering and gasping into Natasha’s mouth.

“You’re so quiet,” Maria marveled, nipping at her chin, and unwilling to disengage, not when she had so much flesh at hand and permission to touch. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Oh, I did.” Natasha seemed surprised, and disheveled. It was nice to see her without her usual mask of confidence. “Was it okay for you?” There was something a bit shy in her voice, and Maria found it adorable.

“More than okay,” Maria assured her. She reached down for the comforter at the foot of the bed and spread it over them both before pulling Natasha to rest her head on Maria’s shoulder. “It’s okay to sleep, if you want.” She couldn’t resist playing with Natasha’s hair, stroking tangled red strands.

But she was the one who dozed off first.

***

Natasha flipped through the photographs, mentaling cataloging the details of each while trying to ignore the churning feeling in her belly. Guilt was a new emotion for her still. She could kill a man and feel no shame if he deserved it, but this, going through Maria’s things while she slept? The stabbing in her gut had her closing the box with a snap.

“It’s all right, you can look.” Maria’s voice didn’t startle her. Natasha had heard her footfalls, she was far too good of a spy otherwise. But she’d wanted Maria to see. This was who Natasha was, a spy.

Even if it meant finding a locked box beneath floorboards in the back of Maria’s closet after just sharing an intimate moment with the woman.

Maria pushed aside the clothes hanging on the rack and settled next to Natasha on the floor. She wore a t-shirt, but nothing else, which was more than Natasha had on. Natasha found herself missing their shared nudity. She hadn’t really gotten the opportunity to look her fill, since Maria had kept her right on the edge the entire time.

The pleasure had surprised her. Sex had always been another tool in her arsenal, another weapon to be used against a mark. She’d told Maria the truth when she said this wasn’t permitted. How dare she consider her own body a source of pleasure? So Natasha hadn’t looked, had kept her eyes down when the curve of another girl’s face set her heart thumping. 

Maria had changed everything.

“I shouldn’t have gone through your things.” She apologized because that was expected.

Maria raised an eyebrow. “You would be a piss poor spy if you didn’t at least take a look around. I would have been more surprised if you hadn’t found it.” She opened the box and lifted out the pictures that were on top. Her face softened as she flipped through them. “That’s my brother, Joseph.”

The image was of a young man wearing a suit in a wheelchair. There was something of Maria in his eyes as he gazed at the camera. 

“That was his first day at the firm. He’s close to making partner now. And this is Sheila, my first girlfriend. We stayed friends after she went off to Europe for grad school…” The picture was of Maria and a young blonde woman, their arms around each other.

“Stop.” Natasha covered Maria’s hands with her own. “You don’t have to tell me these things.”

“I put them in a box for a reason. Some things I need to hide from my enemies. But, sometimes I need to take them out every so often. Remind me that there’s more to life than SHIELD.”

Natasha looked away from her intense gaze. “Are you trying to teach me a lesson?”

“I’m trying to have a conversation.” Maria’s tone was gentle. “I don’t mind sharing my life with you, Natasha.”

“Call me Tasha,” she said abruptly. “Clint calls me Nat. Tasha is the name I give you.” 

It wasn’t easy for her to open up, not even after six months of being out of the game, of trying to wipe out the red in her ledger. She’d been bred to keep secrets. But maybe, just maybe, Maria understood that more than most people would. 

“All right, Tasha.” Maria closed the box and re-engaged the lock. “Did you want to come back to bed? Not that I don’t like you lounging around my bedroom naked, but you must be cold.”

There was a glint in her eyes that stirred something deep inside Natasha. Warmth filled her, a mix of desire and something else, a spark that grew in her belly. She slid closer to Maria, conscious of how she looked, using her curves to the best advantage.

Why not use her training for herself for once?

“I think you’re wearing too much.” She countered, sliding her hands up Maria’s thighs, beneath the shirt that covered far too much.

“Tasha…”

“What do you like?” She didn’t know, and Natasha meant to remedy that immediately. Her fingers stroked the soft flesh of Maria’s inner thighs, hesitantly exploring, moving higher until she encountered Maria’s center.

Maria gasped. “Well, normally, I do like a little more foreplay.”

Natasha made a mental note. She was far too accustomed to men who liked to get right to the fucking. It would be nice, to take things slow.

“But sometimes I do enjoy a nice hard fingering.” Maria took hold of Natasha’s wrist and repositioned her hand. She used her own fingers to show Natasha how to move, and an eager student, Natasha concentrated, memorizing how to curve her fingers, how to part Maria’s folds, and where exactly to press on the inside. “Feel how wet I am for you?”

It was wet and warm, but mostly, she enjoyed watching the expression on Maria’s face when Natasha moved just the right way. Maria’s eyes would flutter, as if desperate to stay open, and her lips would widen as she panted. 

“It doesn’t hurt?” She marveled.

“Not if you do it right.” Maria curled her arm around Natasha’s neck and pulled her close for a kiss.

A kiss was a kiss, and kissing Maria didn’t feel different exactly from any other person Natasha had been forced to kiss. Lips against lips, flesh against flesh. But this time she felt desire between her own legs, a swollen wetness that desired to be touched. She’d faked desire before, and had rarely found it with her own fingers, but to feel it like this, with someone else? That was a rare gift.

And the intensity of the moment hit her like a brick.

Fortunately, Maria didn’t seem to realize the crisis happening in Natasha’s chest. She nuzzled at Natasha’s mouth, and who knew that having your lip bitten could feel so good? The sensation sent sparks through Natasha’s body, as if there was a line between her lips and her clit. 

“Like that,” Maria said, her voice trailing off into a moan as Natasha followed instructions and added another finger, keeping her thumb over Maria’s clit.

“I want to feel it,” Natasha said. “When you come.”

As if her words opened the floodgates, Maria clamped down on her and her entire body shuddered. She grabbed onto Natasha’s arms, her fingers gripping so hard there would be bruises, but these, these Natasha didn’t mind at all.

She felt a strange sense of accomplishment. Even if she hadn’t done this before, she could still bring Maria to climax, and Natasha found herself eager to learn more.

“C’mon, let’s get out of the closet.” Maria got to her feet, and then started to laugh.

Natasha got the joke, and couldn’t help the peals of laughter. She covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle the giggles.

“Don’t do that.” Maria helped her up. “I like hearing you laugh.”

Not everyone did. But she wasn’t a little girl being punished for laughing. Natasha would always be a product of her childhood, and those lessons would stay with her for life. But maybe, just maybe, Maria’s lessons could rewrite the dark twist of her past. 

Maria pulled a shirt off the hanger and handed it to her. “Much as I enjoy having you naked, I think it’s time for some snacks.”

“And maybe one of those girly movies?” Natasha put on the button down shirt, but left the buttons undone. She knew it would tease Maria all night long,and that would lead to perhaps even more orgasms tonight. She was starting to like those, either her own or Maria’s.

“I have something for you first.” Maria led the way back to the kitchen, where she pulled open a drawer and took out a file with a SHIELD logo on the front.

“Check the kitchen next time, got it.”

“I’ll just find another place to hide things.”

Her words sent another flood of warmth through Natasha. There would be a next time, and there definitely would be something else hidden for her to find. “What is it?”

“Your new posting. You will be working with Agent Barton with Agent Coulson as handler. And, as such…” Maria took a deep breath. “You won’t be one of my direct reports. It makes continuing this…” She gestured between the two of them, “A bit more ethical.”

This was dangerous. Natasha could very well fall in love with this woman. No matter how much she’d dismissed the concept, Natasha knew it could sneak up on her. She’d been trained to harden her heart against such things. Love was for children.

But it was time for new training.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Maria ducked her head, as if embarrassed. Oh, there were so many layers to peel away. Natasha looked forward to each one of them.

end.


End file.
